This ain't K-Mart

Severalnewsoutlets are reporting this morning that the lobby shop owned by Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign manager, Rick Davis, was receiving payments of $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac through August. You may remember that the American taxpayer recently payed a hefty fee in bailing out Fannie Mae and its brother Freddie Mac. This contradicts statements by Sen. McCain earlier in the week that Davis had not worked on behalf of Freddie Mac since 2005.

While most agree that Davis was probably not actively lobbying on behalf of Freddie Mac, "They said Mr. Davis’s firm, Davis Manafort, had been kept on the payroll because of his close ties to Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, who by 2006 was widely expected to run again for the White House."

As ABC News' the Note reported this morning, David Donnelly, director of Public Campaign Action Fund's Campaign Money Watch, had this to say: "John McCain's campaign manager and Freddie Mac essentially had what amounts to a secret half a million dollar lay-a-way plan."

"John McCain's campaign manager and Freddie Mac essentially had a secret half a million dollar lay-a-way plan. For almost three years, they made secret, monthly payments of $15,000 to Rick Davis for apparently no other work than for him to provide special access to a future McCain White House in exchange. If McCain knew about this, his presidential campaign should be over. If he didn't know about it, he ought to fire Rick Davis immediately."

Apparently, Rick Davis thinks the White House is on a rent-to-own basis. For the low low price of $15,000, you too can stay in the beautiful Lincoln Bedroom.